


The Anchor

by ferix79



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Acceptance, Autism, Autistic Noctis, Canon Compliant, Children, Gen, Kid Fic, Kink Meme, Minor Character Death, Pre-Canon, Sign Language, Time Skips, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 06:55:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10939287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferix79/pseuds/ferix79
Summary: Noctis was diagnosed with autism at the young age of two. Now three, his therapists want to introduce him to a friend to help him develop his communication and social skills. Ignis, a shy six-year-old, just might be the perfect fit.





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jeejaschocolate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeejaschocolate/gifts).



> My portrayal of Noctis with autism does in no way represent how all people/children with autism act. I have helped out in a few Pre-K autistic classrooms so I am mainly drawing on my experience from that, but I also did a good amount of research into the different ways autism presents itself in people, especially children. 
> 
> This will have a continuation, but I wanted to post these first few scenes to gauge my reader's reactions to this. Autism is a very personal thing and I know this topic is very close to some people's hearts. Noctis will display other typical spectrum behaviors than what is shown here, especially since the next few parts are about he and Ignis growing closer and a few scenes of them growing up.
> 
> [ KM Prompt](http://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/3016.html?thread=2164168#cmt2164168)

The first time Ignis met Noctis—well, he didn’t really meet him, but he recognized the King enough to guess who the toddler in his arms was—they were at a fancy, crowded dinner party. Ignis couldn’t remember what it was for, but there were people speaking all different languages and with all different accents and it was a little overwhelming for a five year old, honestly. But he stayed close to his uncle and greeted people when asked and everything went well, for what it was.

When the King emerged, balancing a two year old on his hip, the babble of the crowd fell to a hushed whisper. A voice boomed from somewhere Ignis couldn’t see, announcing the arrival of Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum XIV, and the little boy pressed his face harder into his father’s shoulder, if that was even possible. He didn’t look very eager to be introduced, Ignis surmised, and his training in basic etiquette told him that such behavior was rude, especially around royalty, but…

He watched a shiver run through Noctis’ body and reconsidered. If _he_ was the center of attention in front of all these people, Ignis imagined, he would probably be scared, too. Just being in the crowd was hard enough.

The King was supposed to come around and introduce the Prince to everyone, but Ignis and his uncle were quite far back in the crowd. Just a few minutes after the King and Prince descended the huge staircase, a distressed wail pierced through the quiet music and clinking glasses. The King tried and tried to shush and comfort his son, but crying soon turned into pushing away from his father and outright screaming. When guests surrounding the King had to cover their ears in response to a particularly loud screech, the young Prince was gathered up by a staff member and taken away from the room.

An uneasy murmur passed through the party after that, but Ignis was happy enough to be able to meet the King. He spoke to the both of them for a few minutes, a soft smile trained on his features, but Ignis could see something more in the King’s eyes. He wondered if his uncle saw it, too, and wanted to ask, but he was far too wrapped up in conversation with the King, and then the governor of Lestallum, and then an emissary from Tenebrae, and then a merchant from Accordo, and then…

 

* * *

 

Ignis formally met Noctis a little over a year later. Before they departed for the Citadel that day, his uncle sat him down and told him why he was meeting the Prince.

Noctis had autism, his uncle explained, and that meant a lot of things. But mostly it meant that Noctis experienced the world in a different way than Ignis might. It meant that if he and Ignis were presented with the same situation, Noctis would react in a way that Ignis would not. His reactions might seem surprising at first, his uncle explained, but he had a reason behind that reaction, just like Ignis did.

“If someone took your glasses, for example, you would be upset because you don’t like others taking your things without asking, right?” his uncle asked, and Ignis’ hand bolted to the edge of his frames out of habit.

“…yes,” he replied.

“So that’s your reason, that you don’t like others taking your things, to your reaction, that you would be upset. All of Noctis’ reactions have a reason behind them, it just might not be the same reasoning _you_ use.”

Ignis found the concept hard to grasp, but nodded along anyway. His uncle reminded him of the lesson later on, right before entering the Prince’s play room.

“Ignis?” his uncle said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Remember that he’s much younger than you—he’s only three. He might act much differently than you expect. Try to be patient with him, alright?”

Ignis gripped tighter onto the straps of his Kenny the Crow backpack, thinking of the other kids he knew in his grade. Well, they were all different in their own ways, right? He didn’t know them very well because he only stayed at school for half of the day—the other half he was tutored in the Citadel.

“Okay,” he mumbled, looking down at his feet. His uncle chuckled.

“Perhaps this will help him develop his social skills, too...” his uncle murmured to the King, but Ignis didn’t have time to think the statement over before the door was opened and a brightly colored, well organized room appeared before him.

The room was decorated using mainly the primary colors, though other, more unique pops of color stood out in some places. The lights overhead were covered with blue plastic that cast a muted, calming glow, but still provided plenty of light for any activity. Directly to his left were four low shelves lining the walls, chock-full of children’s and picture books, a table with a few plastic chairs and a larger rocking chair. The area around the little library was covered in plush rugs and pillows with animal designs.

Continuing around the room there was a door to a restroom, and then a tiled area that Ignis guessed was not meant for children. It held a counter, cabinets and a minifridge that were far out of reach of a six or three year old. The back of the room held a table that looked a more appropriate height, but it consisted of empty bins rather than a flat surface. Ignis didn’t understand—it was worth investigating later. In the far right corner were more soft and comforting effects—stuffed animals, pillows, blankets, a small sleeping bag. Cubbies full of storage bins and other toys lined the right wall and continuing on from there—

Ignis felt his heart skip a beat. The last corner held a brand new, well stocked kitchen playset, complete with an oven, refrigerator, sink, and even all the utensil accessories—!

“And you must be Ignis, correct?” A sweet voice pulled him out of his awe, but he’d have to remember that kitchen for later. He turned his attention to the center of the room where a woman sat with the young prince, his back turned to Ignis. Chiding himself for forgetting his manners around royalty, Ignis set his backpack down against the wall and bowed.

“Yes, miss, Ignis Scientia,” he was proud he didn’t stumble over his last name this time.

She smiled, nodding, and Ignis felt an inexplicable calm wash over him. Her smile was so sincere, unlike the harsh lines on his tutor’s faces, “It’s so nice to meet you, Ignis. My name is Miss Julia, and I’m one of Prince Noctis’ caretakers. Would you like to come meet him?”

Ignis nodded and walked over to the pair, but Noctis was still facing away. He didn’t understand, should he wait for the prince to turn around? Miss Julia prompted him to step around to the direction Noctis was facing.

“You’re fine, he’s just very focused,” she explained. A baby behemoth plush toy sat in Noctis’ lap, his tiny fingers threading through its black mane. “Noctis?” she prompted, and Noct looked up from his toy, “This is Ignis, a new friend for us to play with,” Noctis’ gaze slowly shifted from Julia to Ignis, his big blue eyes boring into Ignis’ green. Julia paused, giving him a minute to consider their new friend.

“Can you say hello to him?” she asked.

 At first, Noctis did nothing. Ignis did his best to have patience, though, just like his uncle asked, and a few moments later Noctis took his hand out of the behemoth’s mane and gave Ignis a little salute. Ignis was bewildered—maybe he’d seen the Citadel guards saluting and had picked up on it?

“It’s sign language for hello,” Julia explained, rewarding Noctis with a ruffle of his hair. The boy giggled at the sensation, reaching up to help her with the mop of fine black hair on his head. “He doesn’t communicate verbally yet, but he’s made so much progress with the signs. You can sign it back to him, if you like,” she repeated the sign, placing her hand on her forehead and sweeping it out, “Hello!”

Ignis imitated the same motion, “Hello, Noctis,” he said, and Noctis’ eyes lit up.

(Many years later, the image of three year old Noctis smiling at him was still embedded in his mind as one of his fondest memories.)

Noctis placed the behemoth plush aside and pushed up to his feet, stepping closer to Ignis. Ignis gasped, stepping back on instinct, and Miss Julia caught Noctis around the middle.

“Noctis, you know we need to ask before we touch,” she warned, and his chubby little arms fell back to his sides. “Sorry, he likes the texture of hair, but he can get ahead of himself, sometimes.”

Ignis cocked his head, tangling his fingers together to quell his sudden anxiousness, “Why does he like hair?” he asked, looking for a distraction. He wasn’t used to other people coming close so quickly.

“It’s his way of stimming,” she said and on cue Noctis began to play with his own hair, crossing his eyes to look up into his bangs, “It helps him calm down, or he might stim when he’s excited. Recently, he’s discovered that _other_ people have hair, too, so he’s very interested to learn what other people’s hair feels like.”

Huh, Ignis thought, he could relate to that, “Sometimes, I like to draw to calm down,” he said.

“Do you? That’s very good, Ignis,” she praised, “It’s good to look at the ways we’re similar rather than the ways we’re different.”

Silence lulled between them for a moment and Noctis attention shifted from his hair to Miss Julia’s long ponytail. Ignis watched as he toyed with it, sliding his fingers through her brown locks, but never pulling.

“Would you mind if he touched your hair?” Miss Julia asked, directing Noctis’ attention back to their new friend, “He promises that he won’t pull or tug, right Noctis?”

He made a fist, then a motion like he was knocking on a door. Another sign, Ignis guessed.

“Yes, he does promise that,” Miss Julia reinforced, “So what do you think, Ignis?”

He hesitated for a moment, but Miss Julia did seem to be telling the truth. Noctis had been nothing but gentle and careful so far. “Okay,” he said, nodding, and Miss Julia released her hold.

Noctis toddled up to Ignis and reached for his head like before. He inclined his head a little, hoping Noctis wouldn’t try to knock off his glasses, and waited as careful fingers ran through his bangs. They stood like that for a good minute, Noctis marveling over his new friend’s hair, until Miss Julia tapped him on the shoulder.

“All done, Noctis,” she said, putting her hands in front of her and flipping her palms outwards, “You can’t keep him there all afternoon. All done!” she repeated the motion. Noctis pouted, but obeyed and put his hands down.

“He’s still learning this one. Maybe you can help him, Ignis?” she suggested.

Ignis looked at the pouting prince and felt bad denying him something he liked. He didn’t mind the hair touching, so long as Noctis was gentle. But Miss Julia was like a teacher, and he always did what teachers asked of him.

“All done,” he said, repeating the sign, though his voice was much softer than the bright and succinct tone Miss Julia used.  

Noctis kept his pout up for a few more moments, but then raised his hands in front of himself and rotated his palms around. His sign was slower than Miss Julia’s, Ignis observed, but she praised him all the same.


	2. Pretend Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis and Ignis grow closer and learn many things about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2...I hope you enjoy! Ive included a few clickable links in this chapter to provide some good visuals, just in case anyone isnt familiar with some of these terms.
> 
> Again let me know if you feel anything is glaringly inaccurate or misrepresented!

Noctis was huge on sensory seeking, Miss Julia told him, which was something else he did to calm himself when he got overstim— overstimlu— over-stim-u-lated.

“Sometimes things like light or sound become too much for him to handle,” Miss Julia explained to Ignis another day while he and Noctis played in the [sensory table](https://www.especialneeds.com/shop/sensory-motor-skill-tools/tactile-stimulation/sensory-tables/4-station-round-sand-water-play-table-with-lids.html)—the table in the back with all the empty bins. Except they weren’t empty bins anymore; they were filled with water and sand and cotton stuffing and beads of different sizes…

“…so sensory seeking is another way of calming down, but it’s also great for learning about textures and cause and effect.” Oh, right, he was supposed to be listening.

So, yeah, Noctis was all about textures. Mainly textures that fell under ‘soft’, which was very distinctive from ‘mushy’ or ‘squishy’ or ‘sticky’ because he _hated_ those. Which made Ignis a little sad, honestly, because he loved playdough, but playdough most definitely fell under ‘mushy’, so he was better off leaving it at home. Perhaps Noctis would grow into liking it, someday.   

As soon as he took the time to think of the world on Noctis’ terms, though, things started to make a lot more sense.

Ignis could relate to an extent, because he’d experienced plenty enough of those textures to know how they could be uncomfortable. Sticky, like the gum he got stuck in his hair once; mushy, like when bread got wet; and squishy, like frogs, which were _gross_ in his opinion.

So, compared to those feelings, he could see how a soft texture could be calming and enjoyable. Hair fell under soft, as did the soft pillows and blankets scattered around the room. Skin was also soft, and anytime they travelled through the Citadel Noctis’ hand was always affixed in his, or poking around Ignis’ palm and fingers, running it through his own hair. 

It did strike him as a little odd that Noctis avoided mushy, squishy and sticky in particular, because if there was one thing in the world Noctis loved it was getting _dirty_.

They ventured to the Citadel’s little playground—built just for Noctis—on a regular basis. Lucky for Noctis, Ignis was, in his own words, really, really good at somersaults and cartwheels _and_ at teaching them to other people. Cartwheels proved to be a bit above Noctis’ current coordination level, but Ignis had faith in him if he kept practicing. Somersaults, though, he got on the first try as Ignis helped him balance until he tucked his head and rolled down in the grass.

 And while he enjoyed the _woosh_ of his hair going down the slide or the weightless feeling of the swing, Noctis _loved_ rolling around in the grass. Which tended to lead to dirt on his cheeks and leaves in his hair, but that was okay, because grass and dirt were most definitely soft and fun to play in.

Bath time, though, was a whole different monster.

Shampoo and soap were sticky and sometimes mushy, you see, and the _last_ thing Noctis wanted to do was put something like that in his hair, which may have been dirty but was still soft and perfectly fine as it was, thank you very much.

Ignis didn’t think he could ever live like that, and he voiced as much to Miss Julia. Cleanliness was next to…something, his mother always said. It was very important, was the point. And Ignis loved nothing more than clean glasses, clean laundry, or clean hair after a bath.

“Well, it’s not that he doesn’t want to get clean, because he knows he can’t lie down in his bed until he’s clean,” she explained. “It’s just the method he doesn’t like, but it’s a bit hard to get around that,” she said, her sleeves rolled up past her elbows as she moved Noctis’ hands away from his suds-covered head again and again.

Miss Julia though, in all her wisdom, came up with an alternative. Ignis didn’t always stay over for bath time, but the next time he did their caretaker filled up the bathtub and produced a compact, colorful sphere. It left purpley-blue dust on their hands when he and Noctis held it, and smelled like flowers.

“Will it float or sink, Noctis?” Miss Julia asked as the boy turned the sphere over in his hands. “Go on, give it a try!”

The sphere fell into the water with a satisfying ‘plunk!’ and immediately began fizzing with a soft hiss. Noctis squealed in delight, expressing a string of vocals that sounded suspiciously like ‘whoa!’, a word Miss Julia often used when they experimented with new things.

“That’s a word if I’ve ever heard one,” she said, smiling ear to ear as she watched them marvel over the purple water. Soon after its descent, the bath bomb floated back to the surface.

“But it was so heavy! Why does it float?” Ignis puzzled, sinking down in the water to bat the dissolving ball across the tub. Noctis became interested, too, and hit the ball back before becoming mesmerized by the purple water dripping off his hands.

“Well, the materials make it feel dense, I suppose, but they’re actually lighter than water, so it floats,” she said, lathering up a washcloth while Noctis was distracted. “Oh, we’ll have to do this again so your dad can see, Noctis. The look on your face is priceless,” she laughed as the toddler stuck his hand out in her direction, as if he was upset that she wasn’t as amazed by the colored water.

Later that night, when the King and Ignis’ uncle showed up to collect a weary Noctis and half-asleep Ignis, someone wasn’t ready to let Ignis leave.

Despite being asleep on the carpet not two minutes before, Noctis wouldn’t stop signing ‘no’ at all the adults in the room. When asked what was wrong, he would only point at Ignis.

“Noctis, darling, Ignis has to leave eventually. He’ll be back tomorrow,” Regis reassured and Ignis nodded from beside him, reaching out to hold Noctis’ hand. In a rare show of anger—rare since Miss Julia and Noctis’ other caretakers started working with him—Noctis yanked his hand out of Ignis’ and stomped his foot on the ground.

“Noctis!” Miss Julia scolded, taking a knee beside him so he could see her angry face. “That was very unkind. Ignis is a friend, you treat him with respect.” Noctis fired back with just as much of an angry face, and it took all of Regis’ composure not to sigh.

“I’m going to leave now, Noctis,” Ignis said, stepping between them to try and remedy the situation himself. “Goodbye,” he said, signing along with the spoken word, “and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Again, Noctis was indignant. Before Ignis could turn and leave Noctis grabbed onto his wrist and made sure he stayed put. Once he was sure Ignis wouldn’t leave he let go and began signing again, but this time his method was different.

He put his palm on his chest, and patted there a few extra times just to make sure the meaning was clear. After that he signed the letter ‘N’, the makeshift sign Miss Julia had assigned him to express his own name. He repeated the motions again, and then finally pointed to Ignis. When no one responded, he did it all over again.

“My name is Noctis…” Miss Julia was mumbling to herself, a finger on her lips as Noctis completed the signs for the third time, until it finally hit her. “Oh!” she exclaimed, drawing Noctis’ attention, “You want to know _Ignis’_ name. You can’t very well have a friend without knowing their name, can you?”

“Let me think, what sign can we use for Ignis…” Noctis watched in anticipation as she spoke, his anger quelled. “Ah, I’ve got it! Come here, Noctis,” she motioned him over so he could have a closer look at her hands.

“Ig-nis,” she said as she pressed the middle joints of her index fingers together before flipping over and repeating the motion. “Ig-nis,” she said again. Ignis himself took interest, and came over to imitate the new sign.

“It’s actually the sign for [friend](http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/f/friend.htm), but I think it fits you,” she explained, putting her hands on Noctis’ and helping him guide his fingers, “Ig-nis.”

After mastering the sign himself, Ignis was stunned to look over and see Noctis trying so hard over and over to make his fingers move the way Miss Julia’s did. It often took Noctis a while to understand the meaning and the movement of a new sign, but here he was, trying so hard to learn this new sign right now.

All so he could call Ignis by a name.

It was…Ignis didn’t think he had an emotion in his vocabulary to describe it, but it made his chest hurt.

“Thank you, Miss Julia…” he mumbled, even though his uncle and the King were right there and he knew they didn’t like him to mumble.

“You’re very welcome,” she said, signing his name when she spoke, “Ig-nis.”

 

* * *

 

Noctis was a very good listener, Ignis knew that for sure. He knew because Noctis did whatever Miss Julia or he or his dad asked of him. Noctis was always listening, he just didn’t know how to respond yet if it was outside of his sign vocabulary. And Ignis knew the feeling, because he was always listening, too, like when they would take short trips to other parts of the Citadel and Crownsguard or Kingsglaive members would stop to fawn over them. They were adults and they were good people, so Ignis was inclined to listen, but he didn’t like what they said.

He didn’t like how they talked down to Noctis, like he was a baby that couldn’t walk and sign and _understand other people._ But Ignis was raised to have the utmost respect for adults—especially those that worked for the King—so he never said anything back. He couldn’t, but oh did he want to.

So yes, Noctis was most definitely a good listener and he loved the sound of Ignis’ voice. It was the best gift Noctis could give him, too, because reading was something they could both participate in and learn from. Ignis’ reading level was far above Noctis’, but he still needed a lot of practice, and Noctis was such a good listener that he’d sit and listen to Ignis read two, even three books in a row, and he didn’t care if he messed up or stumbled over words.

Their current favorite story was _The Rainbow Fish_ , but Ignis was sure Noctis only liked the story because of the fish. Either way, it had an important lesson for the both of them—why sharing with friends was a good and kind thing to do. Noctis wasn’t that good at sharing, Ignis thought, but in all honesty he could use some practice, too.

Ignis _loved_ books, even if they weren’t actually his, and didn’t like to share them with Noctis past reading them aloud. Books were delicate, and Noctis didn’t always treat new things with the most care.

“You must remember that every time he’s interacting with something, he’s learning, Ignis,” Miss Julia said after Ignis relinquished their current book. “Some books have hard covers, some soft. Some have textures and interesting pictures. What happens if he drops them? He can only discover all these things by being hands-on with the books.”

She did have a point, Ignis had to admit. Plus, Noctis liked to look at the pictures in the books as he read aloud, and he couldn’t see the pictures unless Ignis shared with him.  

Noctis had his own way of practicing sharing, too, and it was a lot more fun than sharing books. There was only so much one could do alone with a soccer ball, you see. Noctis grasped in the space of an afternoon that Ignis would kick the ball back at him every time, and suddenly sharing was _way_ more fun than kicking the ball in the grass on his own.

“Every bit of play is another opportunity for him to learn,” Miss Julia said, and Ignis _liked_ that. Liked it so much more than his normal school classes or his tutoring in the Citadel, mainly since Noctis had a lot of toys that his own parents refused to buy him, as they wanted him to focus on school.

Like that kitchen set.

Ignis was shameless in his love for the neat blue and grey plastic, even if he felt too old to be playing with such things. Miss Julia assured him, though, that he’d never be too old to play, so whenever the time came to play pretend for a while, Ignis knew exactly what he wanted he and Noctis to do.

Even during play Noctis was a great listener, but he was also very interested in seeking out new experiences. The first time they played with the kitchen set, Noctis wasn’t very keen on listening to Ignis’ warnings of how to be safe in a kitchen and immediately put his hand on one of the stove’s plastic burners.

“No, Noctis!” he shouted, pulling the boy’s arm away, “That’s hot! You could really hurt yourself!”   

Noctis looked offended that Ignis wasn’t allowing him to play with his own toy, but Ignis only wanted the best for him.

“Look, I’ll show you again,” he offered, because Miss Julia always said repetition was the best way to help Noctis learn. Instead of sacrificing Noctis’ hand, though, he put his own on the ‘hot’ burner and then yanked it away.

“Ouch, that’s hot! Don’t put your hand there, Noctis!”

It was hard to say if Noctis really understood the cause and effect of a hot burner—because it wasn’t _really_ hot, but pretending was fun—but he didn’t put his hand near it again, so Ignis was thankful for that.

But back to the kitchen set, which has _so_ many accessories and pieces, so many possibilities swirling through Ignis’ head. Kitchens were used for a lot of things, Ignis knew, but his favorite by far had to be baking. Cookies and pastries and fluffy cakes…he couldn’t wait until he was older and could actually make those things for real.

“Okay Noctis, here’s what we’ve got to do,” he started, assembling a plan in his head. Cookies were easy enough; make the dough, roll it out, use cookie cutters, and then put them in the oven. If only he had his playdough…but oh well, maybe after Noctis saw how much fun it was he could bring in his playdough.

“We’ve got to make the dough first, so we need to stir everything together in the bowl,” he said, gathering up the tools they needed. “You can roll the dough out when I’m done. That sounds like something you’d like,” he handed Noctis the rolling pin and set about stirring the bowl. The younger boy looked perplexed by all the different tools, especially Ignis’ spoon clanking around in the plastic bowl, but the rolling pin provided a fun distraction.

Instead of practicing rolling out dough, like Ignis thought he would do, Noctis began to spin the pin on its bearing, reveling in the plastic-against-plastic whirr it would produce. A few minutes later, when Ignis decided the dough was ready, Noctis was still fixated on the spinning pin.

“Wait, Noctis, that’s not how you—” he started to grab the pin out of Noctis’ hands, but Miss Julia was behind him all of the sudden, a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“You might be playing a bit fast for him, Ignis,” she said and Ignis’ face fell. Did that mean he and Noctis couldn’t play in the kitchen together?

“It’s alright,” she was quick to correct, “it can be a bit of a challenge for him to pretend like you do. Why don’t you start again, but help Noctis with each step of the recipe. I think he would be very interested in understanding how you make these cookies.”

“Okay…” he said, setting aside the bowl. Noctis was still playing with the pin—stimming, Ignis remembered, this was another way he stimmed. It was no surprise he’d done that, either; Ignis had ignored him and not explained anything.

“Noctis?” he asked, and his friend did not look up from the pin. No matter, he’d just ask again. “Noctis, can I have a turn with the pin now?” Another exercise in sharing, which they’d both made progress in recently.

Those words got Noctis’ attention and, even though he looked wary of handing the pin over, he spun it one last time before giving it to Ignis. “Thanks,” Ignis said, before storing the pin away on a higher shelf, “let’s make the cookies together, okay Noctis?”

They started again with the stirring, but this time Ignis showed Noctis how to hold the bowl and spoon, and how to mix, mix, mix all the ingredients together. After that they moved on to the rolling and cookie cutting, and Noctis was more than happy to push down hard on the pin and the cookie cutters. In the end, after Noctis held the oven door open while Ignis placed the tray inside, Ignis felt so accomplished. This was just the beginning, there were so many other sweets they could make together…

“Excellent job Ignis, and you, too, Noctis,” Miss Julia said afterwards, ruffling Noctis’ hair like she always did. She was scribbling something fierce in a notebook, a wide smile on her face, “We’ll have to do this again very soon. I think we all learned something great today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Final chapter should be up tonight.


	3. Growing Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the attack that nearly took Noctis' life, and everything forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the huge timeskip, I know some of you might be expecting more. These were all the scenes I had planned out to write, though, so I’m sticking with it for now. Maybe someday I’ll come back and fill in the gaps, because I would love to, but I don’t have time at the moment, as I’m about to go on [a hiatus for job-related reasons](http://ferix-writes.tumblr.com/post/160764362764/temporary-hiatus-until-august).
> 
> Because this timeskip is so large I want to make a few things clear—Noctis is verbal now, and I think his speaking, reading and writing skills have improved exponentially thanks to all his caretakers and educators, and since Ignis is around to support him. I hope you enjoy!

Miss Julia died when Ignis was ten and Noctis was eight.

Noctis fell into a coma.

And Ignis spent a lot of time alone.

He also spent a lot of time crying, but Noctis didn’t have to know that.

The doctors didn’t know how long it would take Noctis to wake, but Ignis sat with him every day, made sure he was there every minute possible so he could be the first face Noctis saw. He did his homework there and kept a journal so he could tell Noctis what he missed. He read to Noctis, just like when they were younger, though they’d both moved on to chapter books as a result of Miss Julia’s diligence.

He felt like crying every time he thought of her; sometimes he did. What would he even say to Noctis when he woke up? After four weeks of waiting he felt like his world was ending. What if Noctis forgot him, or all the things they’d learned together? What if Noctis wouldn’t talk anymore? What if, what if, what if—

“Ignis…?” a small voice broke him out of his frustration.

Oh…

He’d done it. He was the first face Noctis saw when he woke up. And he remembered him…the flood of relief from that thought alone made Ignis want to break down right then and there, but they still had so much to do.

“What happened?” Noctis slurred, his blue eyes glossed over with confusion and the relaxing effect of the pain killers we was on.

Oh, where did Ignis even begin?

The doctors and therapists came to take over before Ignis had the chance to explain. But even after he was stabilized the two hardly had a minute alone. Within the week Noctis and his father shipped off to Tenebrae, hoping that the Oracle could cure Noctis of an infection he’d contracted during the attack—the starscourge.

Ignis didn’t know the first thing about the starscourge, but he _hated it._ He hated it, and that he hadn’t been invited along with Noctis, and that Noctis’ life was in the hands of someone they didn’t know, and that Noctis had a new assistant to continue his education, and—!

He hated all of it.

Instead of stewing in his anger—which was tempting, but it wouldn’t help Noctis—Ignis put his energy to use. Despite everyone’s optimism about the Oracle, Ignis knew that Noct would still have a hard time readjusting once he got back. And what did Miss Julia always do for Noctis when she knew he would have to get used to a new routine?

Schedules. She made schedules. And so would Ignis.

It was hard at first—how did she come up with such a smooth routine for them everyday? He started practicing on his own life, recording everything he did in one day, making a schedule for the next day and seeing how close he could follow it. Soon enough he had it down to a science. He even asked his parents a week ahead of time what they were doing for his 11th birthday—he had to plan out his next week, you see.

Ignis was right—Noctis readjusting to normal life in the Citadel took a while. He was also in a wheelchair now, though only temporarily, so that was a new challenge to overcome. Whatever this Oracle did had not stopped his growth and progress, though. If anything, she sped it up.

“I met these dogs, Ignis! Pryna and Umbra, they were really great, their fur was so soft.”

“Ignis, look at this. Luna helped me practice writing after the bandages came off my hands. Isn’t her handwriting so nice and neat? It’s like yours!”

“She gave me this journal so we can write each other. Isn’t that cool, Ignis?” That one caught his attention.

“Exchanging a journal?” he questioned, “All the way from Lucis to Tenebrae? Noctis, that’s a really long way.”

“I know, but she’s the Oracle and her dogs are magical, so Umbra’s gonna carry it back and forth for us!”

He didn’t quite understand, but if it meant Noctis had another friend to talk to—and it made him practice writing more—then Ignis was happy for him.

 

* * *

 

By the time he was thirteen—Noctis was eleven and back to walking on his own—Ignis took over managing Noctis’ schedule. His therapists protested the move, claiming it was too much for Ignis, and that it would throw off Noctis’ carefully planned progress, but King Regis backed him up.

“He’s training to be Noctis’ chamberlain and chief advisor, is he not? Ignis is extremely intelligent, and I would have no problem trusting such an important part of Noctis’ life to him.”

Ignis felt his chest puff out in pride. _Chief Advisor_ , he liked the sound of that. He didn’t know all of what it entailed, but things were looking up for him. Yes, he knew Noctis so well. He could handle this. Noctis was his best friend, all he wanted—all he ever wanted was to support him and see him happy. And this was the first step.

It was also at thirteen that Ignis told his first pun. While he and Noctis loved to have fun and laugh, neither of them were too keen on jokes. Most jokes weren’t literal, which made them confusing, and often bordered on offensive.

But Ignis’ uncle—self proclaimed pun-master—changed his mind.

“I-Ignis. Ignis, I don’t understand. You’re just saying regular sentences, why is it funny?” Noctis asked, perplexed as Ignis couldn’t contain his giggles.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry, Noct,” he heaved, trying to catch his breath and contain his laughter all at the same time. “Let me explain. It’s…it’s like a joke, but without meaning to be one. Some people call it a play on words, because it’s a joke within a regular sentence.”

If they had been inside one of Noctis’ mobile games, he would have still had question marks spouting out of his head. Ignis could be so weird, sometimes…

“Okay, wait, let me tell you one. Do you remember when you were young and you didn’t like mushy foods?” he asked, and Noctis cringed at the thought, but nodded. “Right, so you were fed what solid foods you could handle, but they were quite difficult for a three-year-old to chew and swallow. You could say it was quite ‘tough’.”

Ignis waited a good ten seconds before realization dawned on Noctis’ face, but when it did, they laughed harder than they ever had before.

Puns became their main form of humor, even if Noctis wasn’t all that great at coming up with them on his own. Ignis was, like his uncle, a pro in the making, and actively sought out silly situations to make a pun at least every day, if not more. Noctis was more likely to spout them on accident, which they both found just as hilarious.

 

* * *

 

Ignis wondered what Miss Julia would think of Noctis if she saw him at twenty, more than a decade after the attack.

He thought back to cartwheels and somersaults on the playground by the Citadel. With lots of patience—and lots of gymnastics training—Noctis achieved so much more. Not only cartwheels, but flips and handsprings. Tumbles and dives and proper landings, so he knew how to come out of any combination without hurting himself.

He thought back to the plastic play kitchen, sans playdough or any other fake food. Now, Noctis baked with him often, and was working past his aversion to squishy dough if it meant warm, sweet chocolate chip cookies. He was helping Ignis with a new recipe, too, trying to find the perfect combination of ingredients to replicate a Tenebraen dessert. They hadn’t hit the mark yet, but Ignis would make the pastry a hundred times if it made Noctis happy.

He thought back to before he and Noct properly met, when Noct was a wailing two-year-old that got overwhelmed by the crowd at a party.

“Folk here are real friendly, huh?” Prompto said, skipping along as they entered Lestallum.

“Yeah, everybody greets you,” he remarked, nodding to a group of kids, “Takes some getting used to.”

To the untrained eye, he imagined that Noctis looked very well adjusted. Well, he _was_ well adjusted, but Ignis, after being at Noct’s side for seventeen years, knew his tells.

He stuck close to Ignis from the minute they stepped out of the car, and by the time they reached the city proper Noctis’ hand rested securely in his. Noct’s eyes were trained on Prompto—his smile, specifically, which was bright enough to bring a smile to Noctis’ face—and his shoulders rose and fell as he took deep, slow breaths. He was working every second to stay calm, and it was working.

Gladio picked up on it, too, and patted Noctis on the back. “You doin’ okay, champ?” he asked, the little braid Noctis liked to put in his hair on long car rides whipping in the cross breeze.

“Yeah,” he said, resolute as he twirled a lock of his own hair around his finger, “yeah, I’m fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The OP of this prompt, jeejaschocolate, said they would really love to see autistic Noctis in a relationship. I didn't have time to build up to something proper here, but the scene at the end can absolutely be interpreted as Ignoct. If you don't want that, though, it can be gen, too! I think Noctis has a great emotional platonic bond with all of his bros here. 
> 
> Thank you so much for following me on this quick but emotional venture! I'm super proud of myself for filling this prompt because Ive wanted to do so for months, but I was afraid I couldn't do it justice. I hope youve enjoyed, and let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, let me know what you think! I would love to hear people's opinions on this.
> 
> Here are some of the references I've been using. Theyre all great reads if you're interested in learning more about autism or writing a character with autism!  
> [This whole blog](http://www.floortimelitemama.com/p/autism-what-i-wish-i-had-known.html)  
> [Sensory Seeking](https://musingsofanaspie.com/2013/05/24/sensory-seeking/)  
> [Writing a character with autism](http://disabilityinkidlit.com/2015/04/14/writing-autistic-characters-behaviorizing-vs-humanizing-approaches/)
> 
> [my tumblr](http://ferix-writes.tumblr.com/)


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